Owning This Harmless Item Now Violates D.C. Gun Law

It was bad enough that tactical law enforcement officers raided Mark Witaschek’s home earlier this year in the service of a search warrant. What happened to him as a result is a terrifying lesson for gun owners in the nation’s capital and beyond.

The D.C. resident’s home was reportedly ransacked in January, frightening his kids and causing $10,000 in damage to his property. As a result of their search, officers left with a legal gun holster, a souvenir shotgun shell that could not be used in a weapon, and a box of musket balls for his antique-replica muzzle-loading rifle.

He has subsequently been incarcerated, faced a criminal trial, and this week was found guilty of “attempted possession of unlawful ammunition” despite the fact that the bullets found at his home were inoperable.

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During the court proceedings, Judge Robert Morin expressed trepidation regarding the case against Witaschek, wondering why the balls used in his replica rifle would need to be registered if the gun in which he used them did not.

The bullets had neither primer nor gunpowder included with them, rendering them unusable as a projectile. As for the single shotgun shell, Morin explained that he could not hear any gunpowder in it; and when prosecutors were unable to provide him with a look inside, he decided to simply dismiss that aspect of the case.